MMA combines several martial arts in one discipline. That is why many MMA fighters have a background in striking, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, grappling or wrestling. You have to be able to fight standing up, but also in the clinch and on the ground. It is precisely the switching between those distances that makes MMA so complete.
At Ruthless you can train all of these elements. You can do MMA recreationally or work towards competition and top level sport. You can start as a beginner too; by combining MMA with striking, BJJ, grappling or wrestling you build out each part further.
[[rooster:mma]]
10:30 - 11:30
20:00 - 21:00
10:30 - 11:45
19:00 - 20:00
In the early years of MMA, grapplers often turned out to have the advantage over fighters who were only used to fighting standing up. A good boxer, karateka or kickboxer was therefore not automatically a good MMA fighter. These days professional fighters almost always master several disciplines. Striking, takedowns, ground work and athletic ability come together, which makes it less and less about which martial art is the best and more and more about how well you can connect everything.
As a beginner you first learn the basics of each element: stance, punches, defending takedowns and moving safely on the ground. After that you learn to connect those elements. The beginners class is on Wednesday at 20:00; there everyone starts from the same basics.
Once you know the basics, the attention shifts to the transitions between the different elements. From standing to the clinch, from the clinch to the ground and back again. That switching is exactly what advanced MMA training is about.
Women train in the regular MMA groups and follow the same training as everyone else. If you would rather start in a women-only group, you can begin with the Ladies Only heavy bag class on Wednesday and join MMA later.
If you want to move towards competition, you get extra guidance from coaches with competition experience. You do not move up to this group automatically; your coach discusses with you when you are ready. On Saturday at 12:15 there is MMA sparring on request for fighters preparing specifically for competition.
The MMA classes and the group of professional fighters are led by Amir, with Coach Stefan for the wrestling work and the corner during fights, and Coach Djamil, three time GMC champion at lightweight.
Leandro runs Tuesday evening and Afshin runs Friday evening. Afshin still competes himself and has specialised in wrestling within MMA: takedowns, control and ground work.
You will find all Ruthless coaches on About us.
Your first class is free and you are not tied to anything afterwards. You sign up through the form and hear back within one working day about when you can come.
Come a quarter of an hour before the start, so there is time to change and have a look around.
You start with a warm up and movement work. After that you work on one element, for example standing work, the clinch or ground work, which the coach demonstrates and which you practise calmly with a partner. Then situational training: you start from one position and work it out against each other. At the end there is room to spar.
Sparring is part of MMA and is taken more seriously than in the other classes, but not in your first weeks and always with protection and clear agreements about intensity.
You do not spar here in your first months, and never because you have to. Your coach decides when you are ready. The MMA sparring on Saturday is on request, and the Tuesday class at 21:00 is for that same reason not a class you walk into on a trial lesson. That is a safety judgement, not a reward.
What will probably surprise you most is how technical it is. From the outside MMA looks like chaos, but in class it is mostly about positions, timing and controlling transitions, and about staying calm at the moments when that is hardest.
At Ruthless you pay one amount per month and you train in every discipline: heavy bag training, striking, BJJ, grappling, wrestling, MMA and strength and conditioning. If you come for one class and six months from now you want to try another, you pay nothing extra.
Cannot make it every week? There is a 10-class card as well.
There is no registration fee. You choose a membership of six months or a year; after that a notice period of one month applies.
The questions we get most often about the MMA classes.
Yes. You learn the elements separately before you combine them, and you are paired with someone at your level. Many people take striking or BJJ alongside it to progress faster. That is included in the same membership.
In training no more than any other martial art. You train with protection and with clear agreements about intensity, and sparring only comes when your coach thinks you are ready. What looks like chaos from the outside is mostly technique in small pieces in the gym.
No, but you will train them all. That is the fun of it, and it is included in the same membership.
That depends on the class. There is sparring in the striking classes, but the groups are split into beginners and advanced students, so you are not facing someone who is ten years ahead of you.
On the mat everyone wears a mouthguard and knee pads, and men wear a groin guard. For MMA, MMA gloves and shin guards are added. You train barefoot; on arrival you disinfect your feet in the tray along the side. For your trial class you do not need to buy anything: you borrow everything from us.
Yes. If you want to go down the competition route, that runs through coach Amir. He decides together with you when you are ready. And it is not compulsory: many members train purely for themselves and never set foot in a cage. Both are fine here.
There is no set period for that. The coaches invite you as soon as they see that you have the technique. That is a safety judgement, not a reward. There are members who never spar and are perfectly happy with that.
Striking takes place standing up only. MMA adds throws, the clinch and ground work.
Twice a week is the point where technique sticks. If you want to make serious progress in MMA, it helps to do a second discipline alongside it.
Yes, through Ruthless Kids and Ruthless Youth.
Everything is included in the same membership as MMA. View our programs
Come and join one of our training sessions, no strings attached, and see for yourself